Premier League to drop title sponsorship from 2016

The Premier League has announced that it will drop its title sponsor from 2016/17 in an effort to bring in a ‘number of additional partnerships’ and make for easier global communication.

Following rumours that current sponsor Barclays would axe its sponsorship deal at the end of the 2015/16 season, The Premier League announced at its Annual General Meeting yesterday (4 June) that the likes of “Barclays Premier League” will be dropped as of 2016 to simply be referred to as the “Premier League”.

It has been suggested that the Premier League is looking to adopt the “clean branding” of the likes of the NBA or NFL in order to make for easier global communication.

According to a Premier League spokesperson, the new approach will also allow the League to “add a number of additional partnerships, while the Clubs will continue to operate their own individual commercial models”.

One of those partnerships could be with Diageo, after it was suggested earlier this year that the drinks maker was competing for the title sponsorship deal, which is believed to be worth more than £150m.

At the time, Diageo issued a statement, which said: “With global brands such as Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, sponsorship plays an important role in our marketing activities. We look at opportunities all the time so as a rule we do not comment on speculation.”

Meanwhile, the Premier League adds: “Barclays has been an excellent partner for the League throughout their sponsorship of the competition and we look forward to working with them in 2015/16, the final season of their title sponsorship.”

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